'Procurement is what drives a circular economy'

Socially responsible procurement

The procurement officers of our clients motivate us to evolve. Gispen, in turn, motivates its suppliers to do the same. After all, as a procurer we can control the supply chain by generating and boosting the demand for sustainable and circular products and–by doing so–achieve our Corporate Social Responsibility objectives at the same time. We take our responsibility when it comes to procurement.

Circular policy suppliers

Gispen follows a certain policy when it comes to dealing with suppliers, where agreements are made at three different levels: Company, Product and Agreements.

Company

Naturally, a fully closed loop does not only apply to the product or service of a company, but also to the way it conducts business. This aspect of replacing existing processes with less polluting alternatives, has received constant attention over the past decades. Many standards and methods have since been established to take this further. We therefore adopt existing methods and means such as codes of conduct and questions on the CSR-policy of the organisation.

Product

The methodology that we apply to our own products, the Design Framework, is also applied to the products of our suppliers.

Agreements

In order to properly manage the reuse of materials in the supply chain, one must establish agreements with its chain partners. One method for doing so is via the SRP-agreement (Socially Responsible Procurement). The SRP is an addition to the more ‘general’ agreements, because the sustainability objectives must not interfere with what our clients expect from our products. Neither should Gispen be left to foot the bill for the development expenditures of its suppliers. A joint effort is definitely the right way to move forward here. Thus, existing agreements will only be dismissed if they obstruct the evolution towards a circular economy.

The professional’s thoughts

Gispen is in a transition. REUSE > LOSS PREVENTION > LESS WASTE PRODUCTION > Key words when we speak of a circular economy. I believe in these circular principles. I am convinced that well-designed pieces of furniture, both new and used, are the starting point for a sustainable interior. We aim to prolong the lifecycle of products and we firmly believe that we need to take responsibility, based on well-considered agreements and the right incentive to close material loops. There is much to be gained!

Rick VeenendaalManager circular economy

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